Request: Kai/Lloyd

Requested by: CrazyNinjagoFan1, furdonkadonk, iamthenerd, Dazzle4830

Warnings: Yaoi

Kai kept his arm secured around Lloyd's waist as they boarded the Destiny's Bounty, making sure the blond's arm stayed around his shoulders. Though Morro had gotten away with the Realm Crystal, and Lloyd was in a severely weakened state after having been possessed for so long, Kai was happy to have him back. The poor guy had been through so much, and he deserved to have at least a short rest before they went back out to fight.

Of course, his concern for Lloyd didn't stop there. After having promised to do everything he could to protect Lloyd, he let him get possessed by an evil spirit, he let him suffer in his own mind for several weeks, and he nearly let him drown because of his fear of water. He felt an immeasurable amount of guilt, all because he failed to keep his promise not even a day after he made it.

Even as Lloyd slowly turned his head to face him, a grateful smile on his face, Kai couldn't help but note the exhaustion present in it: the bags under his eyes, the way his eyes seemed to dart this way and that just to keep himself awake, and the way the corners of his mouth twitched, as though even a small smile was too much effort.

"Are you sure you can keep walking like this?" Kai asked as they reached the stairs leading down below the deck. "You look exhausted."

"Please, I look awesome," Lloyd replied with a smirk, but winced when he suddenly slumped over, clearly still feeling weak. "Okay, maybe I need a little help."

Kai instantly lifted him into his arms, one supporting his upper half and the other supporting his legs, holding him close and letting Lloyd rest his head against his shoulder. Ignoring the curious stares of the others, he carried him down the stairs and through the hallway, passing the doors leading to the others' separate bedrooms before he reached Lloyd's room.

"Still remember your room, Lloyd?" he asked. "It's probably been a while since you had a good night's sleep." He carried him to his bed, pulling back the blankets and laying him down on the springy mattress. He tugged the blankets up to Lloyd's chin, and was about to turn to leave when he felt a shaky hand grip his wrist.

"Kai...I don't want you to go," Lloyd murmured. "Not yet, at least." He pushed the blankets away, shuffling over and patting a spot on the mattress to indicate he wanted Kai to lie down with him. After a moment's hesitation, Kai obliged, bringing the blanket to cover the both of them as Lloyd snuggled up to his chest, his blond hair tickling his nose.

They stayed quiet, simply enjoying being back in the company of each other. Kai brought a hand up to comb through Lloyd's hair, leaning down to kiss the top of his head gently. Lloyd's face flushed a light pink at that, and he kissed Kai's cheek in return.

"I really missed you," Kai whispered. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, but I never really stopped hoping." He wrapped his arms around Lloyd's body, hugging him even closer. "I'm happy you're back."

He felt Lloyd's sides rise and fall as he took a deep breath, then he looked up, ruby eyes meeting with brown. "Kai..." he began. "I'm sorry. For all the trouble I caused, I mean."

"What're you talking about? You didn't cause any trouble."

"When I got possessed, everything went wrong. No matter how hard I tried to fight him, no matter how hard I tried to break free, he wouldn't stop going after you guys. He knew how much it bothered me, and he just wouldn't stop! Now Cole's a ghost, I don't know where Ronin is, so we're down one ally, and..." He stopped, pressing his face into Kai's shoulder. "...I'm just so sorry for everything that's happened... It's all my fault..."

Kai frowned, tilting Lloyd's chin up so he was looking him in the eyes, wiping away a tear that threatened to stream down his cheek. "Hey, come on, Lloyd. None of this is your fault. Morro was stronger than all of us." He sighed. "Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it should be me. I promised to protect you, and then..." He trailed off, not even wanting to remember how he failed him.

"He caught us all off-guard," Lloyd said. "We weren't strong enough to fight him off, even when we were prepared..." His arms wrapped around Kai's neck, as if he were clinging to him to hide from an unseen enemy. "Kai, if he was able to do all this, then what makes us so sure we'll be able to defeat him now?"

"I don't know, Lloyd," he admitted. "But what I do know is that we have you now. We're not gonna do this alone anymore. Not only that, but we also have Nya." He nuzzled the top of Lloyd's head. "We'll defeat Morro, but this time, we'll do it together."

"Whether or not that works is another matter. I'm still not strong enough to use my elemental powers to their full strength yet."

Kai pursed his lips, wondering what he could do to bring the green ninja's mood back up. A lightbulb flicked on in his head, and he touched his nose Lloyd's. "You know, I think you're still a little waterlogged from earlier. I think I might have to perform CPR." With that, he pressed his mouth firmly against Lloyd's, letting his hands roam up and down his sides to tickle him.

Lloyd squeaked indignantly, but was soon giggling into the kiss, trying to bat Kai's fluttering hands away while he kissed back with just as much force. His face reddened from a combination of embarrassment and laughing far too hard. Soon, Kai's hands stopped at his hips, and their lips slowly parted, Lloyd gasping for air.

"Don't blame yourself, Lloyd," Kai panted. "You're the leader now. So when you go down, so do the rest of us. But we'll always be here to help pick you back up again."

"Just like you guys did today, right?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just like today." He let Lloyd's head rest against his chest, running his fingers through the blond locks again, before saying, "Oh, and by the way, Lloyd..."

"Hmm?" He could tell Lloyd was on the brink of falling asleep, but he had to make sure he heard what he was about to say.

"I'm still sorry I couldn't protect you. But that doesn't mean I can't keep trying. I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing like this happens again."

There were so many Greenflame moments in this season, I just loved it X3

Thank you to CrazyNinjagoFan1, furdonkadonk, iamthenerd, and Dazzle4830 for requesting this pairing! Stay tuned!